Sky to Falling Sky

Another beautiful piece by the Pittsburgh poet Chris Condello.





July 19, 2015 by C.Condello

Unforgiving Places – Sky to Falling Sky

End of another Day – The Barn at Soergel Hollow – Evans City, PA

Time for me to get out of this unforgiving place…
Sun on my back and the wind blows on my face…
Time to run from the never ending pain…
Four hours till darkness and no sign of rain…

Under the full moon I quietly hug the end…
A law is to be broken and rules will bend…
Stars brightly shine from sky to falling sky…
Sobriety is low and the good memories high…

Windows cracked open to let in the warm breeze…
The ground settles down as the trees lose their leaves…
Distant train warning approaching with speed…
Another soul in back while the others take the lead…

How long must one wait to understand paradise…
The breeze through the trees is my only advice…
Heavens gates separate the mighty church and state…
When the trees lose their leaves we will understand fate…

Broken branches fall in the storm of our existence…
Life is of hardships and death is of resistance…
Mountain sides slide into the shaded valleys below…
A swamp simply sits while the great rivers flow…

To give is to practice empathy like planting a seed…
The poor become flowers while the rich nurture weeds…
Into the forest a mother chases her one and only son…
Only after death do the different function as one…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

Winter is of the night ...

Sometimes life                         

gets in the way

It has been some time

since the last post.

Sharing a new poem

from Pittsburgh

urban gardener

Chris Condello...

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Red sky mourning… Red sky and the mourning doves…
Yellow leaves grace trees rising above…
Spring is a whimper… Summer is a reply…
Autumn is the way the seasons try to say goodbye…

Summer is falling… Fruit is rotting on the frozen ground…
Mourning doves fly through the winds winter bound…
Frozen time lost in the name of sleep…
When we wake the spring clouds will thunder and weep…

Winter is of the night… Winter is a time of passing…
Winds send the naked trees suddenly crashing…
Darkness lasts longer than the winter sun…
I am of the daylight… Together we are one…


plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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Love, hugs and blessings ...ME and the Boss

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... another well written verse from our Wilkensburg blogger ...

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September 7, 2014 by C.Condello

Seasons Melting

“Bumblebee on Wingstem” – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA

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Sunset melts into mighty rivers…
Oceans evaporate in the steady wind…
Rivers flow into the fluctuating sea…
The rain will eventually set us free…

The rain will wash away our sins…
Falling like hail from the gray sky…
Cloudy days into sunshine blinding…
Found yet wandering… Lost reminding…

Remind us of the woodland trees…
Smell of leaves before the freeze…
Air is crisp and cold surrounds…
In the spring the weather rebounds…

In the spring our spirits will rise…
Flowers bloom and youth surprise…
Snow delays are but a splinter…
Spring into summer and fall into winter…

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plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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ME and the Boss ...

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http://meandtheboss.com/

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Summer Rise – Autumn Fall

Another well written poem from the Pittsburgh blogger Chris condello


September 4, 2014 by C.Condello        

“Monarch on Milkweed” – Penn State Master Gardeners Demo Garden – South Park, PA

Stellar summer sunlight…
Autumn is slowly creeping…
When the tree leaves fall…
The earth begins sleeping…

Night sky lit in orange…
Sirens interrupt silence…
Just another reminder…
Of surrounding violence…

So into the blue we sail…
Together constantly rising…
Heaven is a hop away…
Into the stars of Orion…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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ME and the Boss

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Another awesome poem by the Pittsburgh blogger Chris Condello.

A link to his site is below..

August 28, 2014 by C.Condello

Morning Reflections – Daylight after Night

“Morning Reflection” – Keystone State Park – Westmoreland County, PA

Orange glow of the street lights emanate after dark…
Indian style on cold concrete… A contrasting remark…
Heaven is to the north… And hell is in the Deep South…
Poison is pointless unless you put it in your mouth…

Daylight is for the good… The evil roam the night…
Without darkness there would be no concept of light…
Darkness provides the cover for those who take a stand…
Government is nothing more than a rights restricted brand…

Shadows from the clouds sweep across the green hills…
Air is sweet like the steam of a working moonshine still…
Embers burning… Eyes discerning… Moonlight on the water…
Some plants we grow as food… Others are simply fodder…

We are on the ground but our spirits are among the crows…
A seed in the hand does nothing… But in the soil it grows…
When the strong bear arms the weak begin fleeing…
Weapons are possessions we intentionally bring to being…

Tonight I light a candle to illuminate the black of dark…
A tree will die without protection from its wrinkled bark…
Brick by brick we build them up until they crumble down…
The strong know when to smile… The weak can only frown…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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ME and the Boss

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http://chriscondello.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/morning-reflections-daylight-after-night/

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August 20, 2014 

Always glad to share the wonderful words of the Pittsburgh blogger Chris. 

by C.Condello

Forest Resource – Sacred Grounds

“American Ginseng” – Westmoreland County, PA

The sun is rising over the distant tree line…
Reflecting off the calm water like glass…
Mayflies are dancing in the morning light…
My soul is like a candle burning in the night…

The trees in the forest reach for the sky…
When I call out the woodland birds reply…
My mind is in heaven yet I am on the ground…
Communication with nature requires no sound…

Climbing mountains of sand and limestone…
At the top of the rise stands a circle of pines…
I stand among the sleepy conifer trees…
Singing praises to the deer and the bees…

As the earth slowly spins I steady my balance…
On the side of this mountain sitting in silence…
Ginseng takes the place of the spring May Apple…
The forest is the only place sacred like a chapel…


plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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ME and the Boss

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Field of Gold – The Fog will Follow

      

“Field of Gold” – Keystone State Park – Westmoreland County, PA –

 

A collaboration with nature…

 

 

Sitting in a flowering meadow… Myself and the swallows…
When this wind stops blowing the evening fog follows…
Sunset… Magic in nature… Magic in our short little lives…
Like these tiny swallows our energy rises and dives…

 

 

Water droplets from the relentless rains… Clinging to the trees…
A warblers song suddenly brings me to my knees…
Persistent decrescendo… Thunder rolling in the distance…
Between sunshine I imagine cooperative coexistence…

 

 

Existence with nature is simpler than existence with each other…
It’s easy to hug a tree but impossible to hug your brother…
Community is common unity… Unity is a social experiment…
The idea we can all get along is somewhat of an embarrassment…

 

 

We all have best friends… And we will all make enemies…
Value both… Learning experience taken from the centuries…
Unconditional love is thicker than water… Like a raging flood…
After the clouds comes the sun… Then the rain becomes mud…

 

 

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

 

 

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

 

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ME and the Boss

 

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Peony Blossoms – Darkness Leads to Light

Another beautiful post and poem from the Wilkinsburg urban gardener.

by Chris Condello

      

“Solo Pink” – Center Street – Wilkinsburg, PA –

Many of my flower shots would not be possible if not for my urban environment…

In fact… Many of my plant photographs are located on abandoned property…

Or in this case…

Relocated from abandoned property onto property

that is more fitting for the long-term survival of the plant…

I can only speculate age in most cases…

This particular Peony came from a house that was 100 years old and 15 years abandoned…

The original clump was 3-4 feet around…

Darkness Leads to Light

Scent of honeysuckle and peony blossoms…
Dogs barking over police siren cautions…
After dark observations of cats and raccoons…
Crickets are chirping at the crescent moon…

The sound of the breeze in the urban trees…
Cool air against my warm extremities…
Its past midnight and this breeze is just right…
Time in the dark brings meaning to the light…

Time spent in the dark brings meaning to the light…

“Pink Choir” – Center Street – Wilkinsburg, PA – Another salvaged Peony…

Saved by a salvaged human being… Saved from the wrecking ball…

Pulled from the shadows of a collapsing world… Saved for a purpose…

Like me… And you…

After all we all have a purpose…

We all have a meaning…

We all have the ability to shine light on the darkness surrounding us…

Shine on people…

 

Shine on…

 

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plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

http://chriscondello.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/peony-blossoms-darkness-leads-to-light/
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Happy to share this ...

ME and the Boss

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http://meandtheboss.com/
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A Two Generation Army

      

“A Two Generation Army” – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA –

Brandon, age 13, teaching Bryson, age 3, how to plant Petunias…

A generation teaching a younger generation…

A personal investment realized…

Although Brandon knew how to garden before I moved into the neighborhood…

I like to think that I am responsible for the refinement of this skill…

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I envision a reconfiguration of the military sector…
I envision a world that is one…
I envision a society that values the garden spade over machine guns…
A military should be a peace making tool…

We could feed the hungry…
School the homeless and the poor…
Every corner could house a garden…
Every building a store…

If we gave hugs like we drop bombs it would rattle the world to its core…
Our children are our future…
And I am gathering mine…
An army that waves the white flag instead of fighting the front line…

The white flag of surrender…
No…
The white flag of peace…
The kinda flag that when you wave says let’s get together and feast…

We can drink the finest wine…
Eat the freshest greens…
Anything is possible when you combine your dreams…
Anything is possible when you reach…


The best plants in my garden are the children I teach…


plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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http://chriscondello.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/a-two-generation-army/

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Chris Condello
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re-posted by ME and the Boss

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Dreams of Paradise in Orange

      

“Perfect Fleabane” – Hamnett Way – Wilkinsburg, PA – Beauty in the ordinary… Hope in the gutter…

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Orange glow from the buzzing street lights…
Shining through the blinds of my broken windows…
Cool air sending me off to honeysuckle dreams…
Cool air coupled with the full moons beams...

My body is in paradise… But my mind resents…
Among the sleepy trees and urban spring scents…
Surrounded by the energy of those who no longer…
The ability to perceive will only make us stronger…

The pain in your mind is probably a product of me…
Close all the windows… Light a candle and see…
I am still standing… I am a ghosts from your past…
I am a green thumbed vagabond and I expect to last…

Despite your best attempts to silence all my voices…
Talking trash and stacking shit to take away my choices…
I still have a voice… I still have a mind… I still have you…
I still have what most people consider a deeply flawed view…

Reality is relative… Reality is individuality…
Reality is a fucked up place you’d have to cut out of me…
When my mind is idle I dream of the most messed up scenes…
Heroin memories in the gutter dissolve into lucid dreams…

All encompassing reflections of pure misery and pain…
When I’m down I swear needles fall from the sky like rain…
Needles always land with their point to the ground…
Every day I try to scream but can’t muster a sound…

I feel so lost… I feel alone… I feel destroyed… I am beat…
If I had a white flag I would wave it in defeat…
Memories flash through my head like brilliant bursts of light…
Realize I’ve lost my mind but at least I have my sight…

Take me to a greener land of Goldenrod and Ironweed…
Take me to your gardens grand and show me to your seeds…
Show me all the secret places that you find so grand…
A warm embrace is the only way to settle shaking hands…

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plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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ME and the Boss

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Shelter from the Storm

      

“Sunset through the Alder” – Keystone State Park – Westmoreland County, PA

Chris Condello

Seeking shelter from the relentless rain…
Hiding my soul to alleviate the pain…
Salvation lies in the pure forest green…
Seeking silence… Seek the serene…

In the near distance… Audible from afar…
The sound of gravel under a creeping car…
Distant highways relentless thunder…
The sky is dark and turning under…

Gray clouds crumble… Light shows through…
Jet liners rumble obscured from view…
Train whistles blowing across the land…
My light is shining and always grand…

My flame is but a candle to the sun…
You and I together will burn as one…
Our minds combined can move the moon…
We sing off-key but we think in tune…

Clouds are about to clear the horizon…
Blue sky fades to the orange sun rising…
Morning is just a few moments away…
Together as one we take on this day…

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plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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ME and the Boss

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Floating Sea of Green – Anonymous Mountains

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Another wonderful post from Pittsburgh, Chris Condello.
       

“Floating Sea Of Green” – Keystone State Park – Westmoreland County, PA – Trillium as far as the eye can see… Right here… On the side of this mountain… I am but a small part of this picture… Yet… When I am among the Trillium… I feel like a king… Exploring natures beauty…

Sitting on the side of an anonymous mountain…
Among jack-in-the-pulpit and white trillium fountains…
Spring beauty blossoms through last years leaves…
A garden is growing among the woodland trees…

A garden is bigger than the size of your yard…
Gods creation is more than just broccoli and chard…
Heaven is a garden… And here on Earth it’s blue…
A bee that visits my garden brings sweet gifts to you…

Among the trees I realize I am a part of this land…
It is my job to defend the places that I find so grand…
If it came to it I think I would be willing to kill…
Stand on top of my Trillium and I’ll do it for the thrill…

“Mountainside Morel” – Keystone State Park – Westmoreland County, PA – Among the treasures to be found in Keystone State Park… A single Morel Mushroom growing among the Club Moss… Trail side… Hidden by the leaves…

So while I slowly tiptoe across this sea of green…
Knee deep through Mayapples I guide my queen…
Carefully we navigate these Appalachian thickets…
Among the mason bees and the mountainside crickets…

I let go of my baggage and release my inner fears…
A garden is a state of mind and my mind is right here…
A garden has no borders… There are no class walls…
A plant doesn’t see us unless we get down and crawl…

Big degrees… Pedigrees… Even the smart and dumb…
A plant doesn’t give a damn about your annual income…
I garden… Because it requires nothing but the desire to learn…
I sow seeds because I realize it will soon be my turn…

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plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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http://chriscondello.wordpress.com/2014/05/06/floating-sea-of-green-anonymous-mountains/
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ME and the Boss

Heaven and the Horizon

Heaven and the Horizon
      

“Heavenly Horizon” – Soergel Orchards – Wexford, PA

– Apple tree skeletons against the blue horizon…

It’s a beautiful day to be outside among the clouds so white…
Take me to the valley depths and show me to the light…
The space between horizons is colored in sapphire blue…
Midnight stars of Orion shine while holding hands with you…

Stellar dreams of splendid queens and lands so rich and green…
Climb the mountains made of dreams to air that’s pure and clean…
Every night we drift to sleep with good thoughts on our minds…
In the morning chase the sheep and look for hidden signs…

A moment with my merry band among the trees so grand…
Floating off to splendid lands to find the tallest stand…
Stop for moments relaxing on the highest mountaintop..
Heaven is like the freshest air surrounding dew drops…

Waterfalls and robins calls floating through the morning fog…
In the distance under resistance cries a panicked dog…
When I write poems my tattered soul floats right up to the sky…
When I write my dreams my awakening soul will open up and fly…

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plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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ME and the Boss

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http://chriscondello.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/heaven-and-the-horizon/

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Chris Condello

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Repaired into Ruins – Side by Side

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Chris Condello
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“Repaired into Ruins” – Lamar Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA –

Not even an abandoned house…

This is somebody’s attempt to close off a basement window…

 It is so messed up I had to laugh…

But at the same time… It was so beautiful I had to run home and grab my camera…

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Walking the dirty streets of Wilkinsburg…
Every other house a disaster waiting…
Mountains made of condoms and needles…
Pain is present in the eyes of the people…

Abandoned houses rot side by side…
Reminder of how the mighty decide…
Everything that grows will eventually stall…
Only the weak minds will answer the call…

I don’t want to be just another soldier boy…
Another scout… A pawn… Or a generals toy…
I want to be the best at the things I do…
When something falls apart I want to be the glue…

I don’t want to be just another list maker…
Another dish washer or first class faker…
I want my gardens to circle the earth…
Beauty grows beyond the day of birth…

The sound of birds over the rumble of a train…
A glimmer of sunshine after a long day of rain…
I want to do something that will give me pride…
Live in a place with the freedom to decide…

Depression is like a concrete block wall…
Like trying to bounce a flat basketball…
For most of my life I have been one knot away…
Every morning wake up thinking is this the day…

I have to find a way to tear down this wall…
Accept that I am human and deeply flawed…
What is a flaw… To some its perfection…
Based on a different style of human perception…

The sun and the moon… The birds fly high…
White clouds floating from our minds to the sky…
Cool mist falling from the sapphire blue display…
Forget about the past and throw these weights away…

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plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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ME and the Boss

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.http://chriscondello.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/repaired-into-ruins-side-by-side/

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Composing Me

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Composition in Scraps – Composing Me

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from the blogger ...chris condello

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“Composition in Scraps” – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – As the name implies… Scraps from a day at work… It was either this or the garbage can… Almost a self-portrait in a way…

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Put me in a group of people… And I crumble…
I stutter… Shake… And ultimately stumble…
Nature is my saving grace… My constant drive…
Put me in the forest and watch me come alive…

Know where I’m going… I’m just not sure how to start…
Looking for my salvation in the form of natural art…
Stop for a moment below a twisted mulberry tree…
Every part of which can heal… From root to canopy…

Shattered glass outlines brick like shiny gemstones…
Naked trees against the sky resemble broken bones…
Moments in time always shape our inner perception…
Shadows in our lives lead to shadows in our reception…

Towering grey clouds rise from the distant horizon…
Thunder rumbles as the afternoon humidity rises…
Towering Maple trees sway as the steady breeze blows…
As this moment progresses my tattered spirit grows…

Right here… Right now… I am among the poorest…
The most I have to offer is some pictures of the forest…
Sitting here watching the sun rise over rotten homes…
Sitting here watching the sunrise… While my soul roams…

I never know where my mind will take me…
I never know what I will find…
But as long as I slow down and pay attention to the world around me…
I always find something beautiful…
I always find something grand…

Someday… I will find you…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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http://chriscondello.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/composition-in-scraps-composing-me/
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ME and the Boss

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Hyacinth Breeze – Naked Trees

 

 

“Hyacinth Breeze”

 

Royal Hyacinth – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA –

 

Hyacinth stars burst forth in colors of Easter… Early spring has arrived…

 

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Today is but a rain delay in the grand scheme of spring…
A rare opportunity I have to share the feelings I bring…
Last years decaying leaves now resemble faded shells…
The remaining Oak leaves ring like broken church bells…

Squirrels left the trees for the rotting open eaves…
Raccoon in the chimney just another pet-peeve…
Spring is of rain showers and summer is of the sun…
Then we fall to winters slumber and the year is done…

Meanwhile in reality I absorb the Hyacinth breeze…
Soul is rising high enough to clear the naked trees…
Way up here the air is clear and I feel a bit unsteady…
Soon the bulbs will whither back and summer will be ready…

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plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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Chris Condello
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ME and the Boss

An Alphabetical Ode

 Air of renewal in
 Boston for Patriots Day
 Calliope of runners
 Disembark, challenging their
 Endurance -
 Family and friends
 Gather -
 Heeding security, yet
 Indigent to celebrate and be
 Jovial.
 Laughter mixes with the
 Kick start of tears.
 Mastering confidence and the
 Needs of the city and
 Of the nation – a
 Proud peoples
 Question memories.
 Restructured for
 Safety – the crowds still
 Turn out in full force
 Undulating arms,
 Voicing sideline support
 Watch and wait
 Xanthein tulips sway their
 Yellow for the brave – in the
 Zone, everyone cheers!

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©JP/davh

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A new friend, Jules Paige,

from way up north in cold and snowy Pennsylvania,

a very creative and prolific writer who always entertains.

More to come.

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ME and the Boss

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Among the Wood Hyacinth

 

. Among the Wood Hyacinth


Laying among the wood hyacinth… Scattered among the leaves…

Enjoying the scattered rain showers… Blown in the lilac breeze…

Cherry blossoms fall like snowfall… And apple blossoms drop in the rain…

While sitting in the sunshine… My metaphysical gain…

Steady rain will soon arrive… To conquer the tulip petals…

Dandelion floaters flutter and fly… But soon they’ll gently settle…

In the back of my mind… The rules break and bend…

Plan for the springtime… The season never ends…

The seasons all about beginnings… Breaking new ground…

 In the city I am lost… In the garden I am found…

And the forest is my heaven… My temple of praise…

A place to write poems… A place to smoke haze…

And drink my cup of coffee… With my birds and bees…

The only time that I feel right… Is hanging with the trees…
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plant petunias and question everything

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– chriscondello . .

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ME and the Boss

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http://chriscondello.wordpress.com/2014/03/20/breaking-through-outside-my-window/
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ME and the Boss.com

Snow

. Posted on the Vernal Equinox
- 3/20/2014 at 12:57 PM EST

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Snow is falling on my dreams of spring…
Falling on the tips of my green tulips…
Falling on daffodils and hyacinth breeze…
Hiding under the leaves from the naked trees…

Spring is right around this next corner…
The fresh scent is rising through the air…
Like my bulbs growing under the leaves…
In the blue sky and under brown trees…

Right outside my broken window…
Frozen tears fall from the winter sky…
Spring will soon flow from the melting snow…
Slowly flowing to the seeds I sow…

Spring winds right outside my old door…
Whistling past my open window…
Blowing away the grey winter leaves….
Making way for the mighty trees…

Making way for my gardens in green…
Making way for you and me…
To turn this landscape of brown and grey…
Into a magnificent flower-filled display…

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plant petunias and question everything

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– chriscondello . .

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ME and the Boss

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http://chriscondello.wordpress.com/2014/03/20/breaking-through-outside-my-window/
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ME and the Boss.com
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Observation and Spring

Color bursting forth from my golden lawn…
 Purple and yellow reminiscent of dawn…
Grey and brown a reminder of winter…
Crocus blossoms after the Snowdrops whither…

Sun pours down between the rainshine…
Through the clouds streaking in laser-straight lines…
Across the lawn the mist is on the move…
Clearing the way for the bees to groove…

Something about the sweet smell of spring…
Living in a neighborhood where the church bells ring…
Noon is marked by a song and twelve chimes…
Rainfall puts perspective on the love of sunshine……

When the clouds clear the sun shines bright…
The hours of light absorb the night…
A constant reminder that winter has passed…
Flowers spring forth from the emerging grass……

The first of the trees prepare to blossom…
Hyacinth grow around the trees bare bottom…
 A cardinal calls from a naked branch…
Harkening spring with a vocal dance……


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Chris Condello

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Unfortunately , time and talent did not allow me to include
any of the wonderful photos that Chris used in his post.

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Want to see the spring flowers in Wilkinsburg (Pittsburgh) PA.
Here is the link:
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http://chriscondello.wordpress.com/2014/04/03/photographic-confessions-observation-and-spring/
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ME and the Boss
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